Broome

I went for a stroll around town while Rick and the kids went swimming. After lunch we we went and did the Pearl Luggers tour which was quite interesting. From the late 1800's until the mid 1900's the pearling industry in Broome was based primarily on the collection of oysters for the 'Mother of Pearl Shell' called Pinctada Maxima, which was mainly used for buttons. Pearl diving was in open water, and initially without breathing apparatus, many divers were taken by sharks or got the bends. Pearling peaked in the early 1900s when the towns 400 luggers supplied 80% of the worlds mother-of-pearl. With the introduction of the plastic button the demand dropped but around the same time the cultured pearling industry began. The Japanese introduced the technique of seeding the oyster with a bead to create perfect cultured pearls now known worldwide as 'Australian South Sea Pearls'. We had a look at the restored Pear Luggers on display and the collection of old equipment. We were amazed to learn that the used the old heavy helmet diving suits right up to the 1970s.